Chuncey Garcia COURTESY OF THE ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

The trial of a suspected pimp accused of forcing a 14-year-old girl into prostitution began today in Santa Ana. The defendant is the first in Orange County to face the possibility of stricter sentencing after voters last year approved new penalties for human trafficking.

Chuncey Tarae Garcia, 33, is facing felony counts of human trafficking, pimping a minor and forcible rape of a minor, according to Orange County Superior Court records. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If convicted, Garcia faces a maximum sentence of 28 years to life in state prison.

Cierra Melissa Robinson, a co-defendant in the case, was found guilty last year, according to an Orange County District Attorney’s Office statement. Robinson, 28, was sentenced to five years in state prison.

Prosecutors allege that Robinson met and befriended the 14-year-old runaway before introducing her to Garcia.

Investigators believe that Garcia forced the girl to work as a prostitute, posting sexually explicit ads featuring her on known prostitution websites and directing her to walk in areas known for prostitution. They say he collected money after the girl had sex with adults and threatened to withhold meals from her if she didn’t bring in enough money on a daily basis.

Prosecutors also allege that Garcia raped the girl during her first day as a prostitute.

Garcia and Robinson were driving in a vehicle with the girl and another woman on March 1, 2013, when they were pulled over by a Garden Grove officer who noticed a broken headlight, according to the District Attorney statement. The officer became suspicious, identified the girl as a missing person and a suspected victim of human trafficking, and took Garcia and Robinson into custody.

Authorities say Garcia’s case is the first in Orange County to fall under new penalties from Prop. 35, which doubled prison sentences for human trafficking and made those convicted of sex trafficking of children eligible for life-sentences. The measure was approved by 80 percent of voters on the statewide ballot in November.

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